Save Article

Volkswagen, BMW Get Lift From Luxury-Vehicle Sales

By

Christoph Rauwald

Updated April 11, 2012 11:06 a.m. ET

FRANKFURT—German auto makers Volkswagen AG and BMW AG set fresh sales records in the first quarter as booming demand for luxury cars at home and in the U.S. and China more than compensated for slack demand across much of Europe.

Strong German demand for new cars comes as the German economy at large—thanks in part to surging exports of items such as luxury vehicles— bucks the weaker trend elsewhere in Europe, where the region's lingering sovereign-debt crisis and accompanying government austerity programs weigh on corporate...

RELATED VIDEO

BMW and Volkswagen Set Record Sales

German auto makers Volkswagen and BMW set fresh sales records in the first quarter as booming demand for luxury cars at home and in the U.S. and China offset slack demand across much of Europe. Dow Jones's Christoph Rauwald reports. Photo: Reuters